My disability hate crime experience

My name’s Eva. I’m nearly 13 years old, and I have cerebral palsy.

Earlier in the summer, I was a victim of a disability hate crime when I went for a walk with my friend. It was my first time being allowed to go to the park on my own with a friend, and I was really looking forward to it!

My hate crime experience

Not long after we arrived, I saw two teenage boys cycling around the roundabout in the play park nearby. Once they spotted us, they cycled over. They started cycling around us and calling us horrible names. They were also teasing me about being in a wheelchair.

It made me feel sad; it was intimidating and frightening. I’d never seen these boys before and didn’t understand why they’d be horrible to me. I didn’t really know much about disability hate crime before then.

My friend rang her dad, who told us to leave the park and come home. As soon as I got home, I decided to go online and report what had happened.

Reporting hate crime to the police

I reported it online using the police’s report a crime or incident form. Within half an hour, the police rang me to find out more about what had happened. I couldn’t believe how quickly they got in touch! They spoke to my mum and decided it would be easier if they came to talk about the incident face to face.

A couple of days later, they came round at a convenient time. They took descriptions of the boys, and I felt like they were taking the incident seriously. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to find the boys on CCTV, but they still made me feel supported throughout the whole experience. They even followed up with a phone call two weeks later to see how I was feeling.

Disability hate crime should always be taken seriously

I’m happy I reported the crime. The police took it seriously, and I think reporting it can help other people too. The best advice the officer gave me was always to report hate crime. If it’s safe to call them, do it. But make sure people can’t see you. 

But if you can’t report it at the time, it’s straightforward to do it online.

When I reported it to the police, I wasn’t sure if what happened was ‘urgent’. But the police’s response made me realise that it was urgent!

Disability hate crime should always be taken seriously, and no one should have to experience it, especially when out having fun with a friend!